Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-03-06

The GOODNESS with which the old rascal
who had record of 300 assassiDations
in one year) said this was appalling.
Whitby said that il there had been one
more twist of the Thugs knuckles In the
roomal he would have been dead man.
AS it was, he was mighty glad OF good
stiff peg" to restore him from the effects
OF the ancient Thugs embrace.
In the afternoon we set off for the Mar
BILE Rocks in rlckety box car on wheels
called a shigram. When we got clear OF
Jubbulpore environments we emerged
upon country covered with low brush
wood and gigantic boulders, which were
strewn about as if giants had been
throwing them at each other in battle.
On solitary rock about 100 teet high we
noticed the ruins Of building.
''That,'' said Barton, our clcerone. sis
the old Futter Mahal, or Palace OF the
Rock. The natives have queer tradi-
tion about it and will not pass 1t after
nightfsll if they can help it. The story,
as l have heard Nautch girls sing IL again
and again, is that the Palace Of the Rock
was once inhabited by Rajah who was
robber chief of the most melodramatic
kind OF ierocIty. He mad a lovely daugh-
ter named Heerabhai, tine Diamond.
Poor Heera was never allowed to pro-
coed beyond the Rock, but one day she
u
who begged for aims. 1epra gave them,
when the iakir threw off his rags, pulled
off the disguise upon his face and an
noYnced himself as the son of neigh
boring chief. Frightened Heera sent him
away lest her father should eaten him,
He became her ardent lover and she re-
turned his passion TO such an extent that
In a stolen interview in the garden she
consented to fly with him. The plan ar
ranged was that on a certain night abe
was TO lower herself down from her bed
room by rope. and then the lover would
whisk her of to his fathers palace across
the Nerbudda. On the appointed night
Heera said her prayers before the family
idol, anolnted IL with ghee and covered 1t
with fragrant garlands OF the great
white chumpuk tree. Then she proceed
ed TO let herself down from her window
according 10 programme. The robber
chief. her father, however, happened to
return unexpectedly from foray. When
he saw his daughters form suspended
midway he thought IL was his wife elop-
ing, and with an oath he cut the rope and
Heera fell, mangled and dead, at her low
er's feet When the father found that 1t
was the jewel OF his house he had killed
Instead OF his somewhat ancient spouse.
ne summoned his followers, deckod him.
self in all his jewels. cried 10 Heera, that
ne was coming and leaped from his
palace, falling dend in the exact spot
where his daughter died. AS for the
lover, he became iakir in earnest, per-
forming teats of self-torture throughout
Hindostan that made him the reputation
OF a SAINT, and died murmuring: 'Heera,
toom kewasta hum merjsnga,' or words
TO that effect, meaning 'Heera, am dy-
ing now for you.' You will aeknowl-
edge that the old Rock Palace looks very
grim, but at night 1t looks more grew
some, for it is the only prominent height
lying between here and the banks Of the
Nerbudda."
BY the time Barton had finished the
legend Of Heera and her lover we had
reached a small village where pretty
dark-eyed Hindoo girls came out OF their
houses and offered us flowers for sale.
One OF them, precious looking maiden,
sold bouquet to Barton, and as she took
the coin he offered ner she started back,
and In patois of Hindostanee cried
that she saw a strange cloud throwing
bad shadow over mis- face. We laughed
At the pretty little sooihsayer. Barton
didn't. Instead, he sad he had n
telegram to send of that he had quite for
gotten about when in Jubbulpore, and
left us TO dispatch 1t. When ne returned